Last month, Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan went viral with a perfectly cheeky response to a fan who called her “brave” for her filming the show’s steamy love scenes. “You know, it is hard,” the Netflix star said, baiting her audience, “because I think women with my body type—women with perfect breasts—don’t get to see ourselves on screen enough.” The crowd cheered as Coughlan carried on with a sly grin on her face.
“I’m very proud as a member of the perfect breast community,” she said. “I hope you enjoy seeing them.” Coughlan did not seem offended by the fan’s comment, which seemed to come from a well-intentioned place.
Sadly, even in the Year of Our Lord 2024, the love scenes between Coughlan’s writerly protagonist Penelope and her side-burned crush Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) are vanishingly rare. After watching them, I found myself wracking my brain to try and remember even one other intimate scene that’s treated a body like Coughlan’s—which looks a lot like mine and many, many other viewers’—with such erotic admiration. It should embarrass everyone in Hollywood that moments like this are so rare, but here we are.
Nicola Coughlan Liam Daniel/Netflix Bridgerton Season 3 , which debuted its second half on Thursday, finally makes good on all those longing stares Penelope has thrown Colin’s way since the show began. When these two sweet lovebirds finally hooked up in the back of a carriage in Episode 4—the last from Part One�.